{"id":296802,"date":"2023-10-22T22:24:31","date_gmt":"2023-10-22T22:24:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=296802"},"modified":"2023-10-22T22:24:31","modified_gmt":"2023-10-22T22:24:31","slug":"england-will-rise-again-after-heartbreaking-semi-final-disappointment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-union\/england-will-rise-again-after-heartbreaking-semi-final-disappointment\/","title":{"rendered":"England will rise again after heartbreaking semi final disappointment"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>CHRIS FOY: England will rise again after heartbreaking semi final disappointment against South Africa &#8211; as a changing of the guard is imminent<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>\u00a0England will take many positives despite the heartbreaking end to the journey<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>\u00a0Many older players will move on from Test rugby to make room for new blood<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>\u00a0Courtney Lawes has already decided to retire from his Test rugby career<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The cause for English hope amid their World Cup despair was epitomised on Saturday night by George Martin\u2019s big shot on a rampaging Franco Mostert, which reverberated around the Stade de France and beyond.<\/p>\n<p>That split-second statement of brutal intent represented a collision between two powerful men, and also between the present and the future of the national team.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It was a tackle which showed that England have some young forward clout to be reckoned with. It was the highlight of a night when we might just have witnessed the emergence of a next-generation Martin Johnson. It wouldn\u2019t be the worst consolation, if that \u2014 in time \u2014 turns out to be the case.<\/p>\n<p>England were shattered by this result, with good reason. They were heroic and committed and smart and precise for most of a rain-soaked semi-final, until the Springboks snatched victory from under their noses.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The better team did not prevail. England won just about every contest in the air and on the floor, until\u00a0South Africa sent on Ox Nche to ransack their scrum and turn the tide.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/22\/22\/76869923-12659827-image-a-8_1698009923013.jpg\" height=\"455\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>George Martin putting in big shots\u00a0 show England Rugby&#8217;s future remains in good hands<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/22\/22\/76869927-12659827-image-a-9_1698009927643.jpg\" height=\"415\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Martin was in the thick of it when he came on, getting in the face of South Africans all game<\/p>\n<p>But the impact of Martin was the main silver lining around a giant dark cloud. The rookie Leicester lock, thrown in by Steve Borthwick\u00a0to start this momentous fixture, delivered a thunderous performance.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Several times, the 22-year-old threw his weight about to brutal effect, but none more so than when he flattened opposite number Mostert, at full tilt.<\/p>\n<p>Asked about his favourite tackle of the night, Martin said: \u2018The one on the line. That was good. I enjoyed that.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Picking through the rubble of this near-miss, when England led 15-6 before a late slump, Borthwick was heartened by signs of promise for the years ahead.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The fact we had more players aged 25 and under than any other team in the semi-finals says there are a lot of good young players around who have benefited from this experience,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I think there\u2019s a lot of growth in this team. You\u2019ve seen growth in this tournament. It hasn\u2019t always been linear, or always been a step forward. Sometimes it\u2019s not the straightforward path you want it to be. In the adversity, feelings and emotions of the game last night I know we\u2019ll get stronger.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/22\/23\/76870955-12659827-image-a-32_1698012341485.jpg\" height=\"422\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Courtney Lawes has announced he will retire from international football after the World Cup<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/22\/23\/76870971-12659827-image-a-33_1698012352388.jpg\" height=\"400\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Jonny May will follow Lawes into international retirement once the World Cup is over<\/p>\n<p>And what about Martin? How good could he be? \u2018I think he\u2019s got excellent potential and he\u2019s already a top-quality player,\u2019 added Borthwick.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018He\u2019s a young man who is developing and growing into his body. He has huge potential.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>A changing of the guard is imminent, but first England have one last game to play here. Borthwick won\u2019t shift from his week-to-week mentality and for now he will ensure full focus is on winning the so-called \u2018bronze final\u2019 against Argentina on Friday night.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Their mission is to come full circle; by ending the tournament as they started it, by taming the Pumas, to finish in third place.<\/p>\n<p>That would certainly represent a higher-than-expected outcome. England are not truly the third-best side in the world \u2014 given the pedigree of World Cup finalists New Zealand and South Africa, along with France and Ireland \u2014 but they are rising again. There is now tangible proof of progress.<\/p>\n<p>What they delivered on Saturday night was a limited strategy but a near-perfect one. It wasn\u2019t pretty, but in poor conditions it was savvy and effective. To be denied at the death was so, so cruel.<\/p>\n<p>England\u2019s campaign has featured five wins and a defeat by one point. There\u2019s no disgrace in that, although the path was relatively gentle.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Given how abject they looked in August, it was no mean feat. Collective spirit and most staples were good, until the dramatic scrum collapse which left them unable to resist a Bok fightback.<\/p>\n<p>In summary, it went like this. They were heroic to win well with 14 against Argentina in the opener. Next came a routine dismissal of Japan (who are not the side they were in 2019), followed by a hollow romp against Chile\u2019s part-timers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Then there was a scare before the escape to victory against Samoa and a controlled, forceful effort to repel Fiji\u2019s quarter-final fightback in Marseille. Then this; easily the best performance, but to no avail.<\/p>\n<p>Borthwick won\u2019t address the bigger picture until the quest for bronze is complete, but there are big decisions ahead. Some veterans are retiring \u2014 Courtney Lawes and Jonny May have already confirmed as much \u2014 and others may have to be moved on.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There are fresh doubts about the outlook for Billy Vunipola and Kyle Sinckler after this narrow defeat.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/22\/22\/76869255-12659827-image-a-10_1698010001371.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Steve Borthwick will take many positives from the World Cup, it was a sharp learning curve<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/22\/22\/76869435-12659827-image-a-11_1698010004186.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>England captain Owen Farrell once again proved his excellent leadership and ability on field<\/p>\n<p>The head coach has already hinted that many experienced men will continue and he won\u2019t oversee a youth revolution for the sake of it. It is hard to imagine captain Owen Farrell standing down at 32 \u2014 not when his friend Johnny Sexton led Ireland into this World Cup at the age of 38.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>George Ford is 30, but still has plenty of time left. Marcus Smith may find that his Test prospects lie more at full back than 10.<\/p>\n<p>England\u2019s scrum has to become a national priority. Frankly, it is a national emergency. Joe Marler and Dan Cole were superb in keeping South Africa\u2019s pack at bay, but their set-piece prowess is not matched by many within the English game.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There must be a concerted mission to bring through formidable figures like Nche \u2014 if any exist in the country.<\/p>\n<p>That critical issue aside, Borthwick and his assistants have shown there are some solid foundations. Now to build a grand edifice, with more time and space to do so. The attacking repertoire will need to expand, but that will be a painstaking process.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/22\/22\/76869253-12659827-image-a-12_1698010059334.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Ben Earl was England&#8217;s breakthrough payer of the campaign, a strong performance by the No 8<\/p>\n<p>Ben Earl has brought dynamism to the back row, but will Zach Mercer also earn another shot? And there will be several back-line gaps to fill as May is retiring, Ben Youngs and Danny Care may not be seen again, and there will be doubts about even the short-term outlook for Manu Tuilagi \u2014 who is understood to have played this semi-final with a broken hand.<\/p>\n<p>There are alarming gaps in the English production line right now, but there has been evidence of potential within this squad to provide encouragement.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The mix of youngsters and older guys is great,\u2019 said Elliot Daly.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The young guys have really stood up in this tournament; lads like Freddie (Steward) and Mitch (Alex Mitchell), who\u2019ve not got a lot of World Cup experience but they\u2019ve come in and dominated games. I\u2019m very excited for the next four years.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/rugbyunion\/article-12659827\/England-rise-heartbreaking-semi-final-disappointment-against-South-Africa-changing-guard-imminent.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CHRIS FOY: England will rise again after heartbreaking semi final disappointment against South Africa &#8211; as a changing of the <span class=\"more-text\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":296801,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>England will rise again after heartbreaking semi final disappointment - Sportstons<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-union\/england-will-rise-again-after-heartbreaking-semi-final-disappointment\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"England will rise again after heartbreaking semi final disappointment - Sportstons\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"CHRIS FOY: England will rise again after heartbreaking semi final disappointment against South Africa &#8211; 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